CES 2010

Brian Leahy spotted this hilarious Wii ripoff in the "gaming pavilion" part of CES 2010, which mostly consists of folks selling headphones or peripherals no one really wants. That includes this take on the Wii, which takes the tech even further back than the GameCube. We're talking SNES. But don't worry, the company promises they're going 32-bit soon! No, I'm not kidding.

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.

My favorite part of CES 2010 is the fact that Super Street Fighter IV is playable. I've managed to put a good amount of time in with the game at this point so I think it's ready for some impressions. Won't you join me?

Before we get going, however, how about you watch all of the great video I shot off the screen at Capcom's SSFIV Fight Club last night?

Revealed at CES 2010, every character will be able to select from two different Ultra Combos. A lot of these are situational or useful for specific match-ups. Blanka, for example, has a new 2-in-1 Ultra, with one version that can be used as an anti-air/anti-cross-up and the other used for countering fullscreen fireballs. Chun-Li grabbed a non-charge fireball Ultra that can easily be setup after an EX Lightning Legs, which should help her rise up the tier list a bit.

Balrog has gained a 720-degree command throw Ultra, but I don't know where I stand on that yet. I primarily play Balrog so I have a vested interest in this. Zangief has one of the hardest Ultra setups in the game and Balrog's new attack uses the same motion. This means the new Ultra has to be buffered in a jump, Focus Attack, or on a whiffed dash punch. Compare this to Balrog's original Ultra, which is one of the easiest to hit in the game. The grab also has some start-up, so quick players can easily jump away, unlike Zangief's.

For more impressions, including how the new characters stack up and gameplay details on Ryu's awesome new Metsu Shoryuken Ultra, click the break.

There are some serious oddities on the CES 2010 show floor, including a station where Sony was showing off their engraving technology by burning people's names into pieces of wood. It's the same technology that creates the engraving on Sony's e-readers, music players and other electronics. The company wanted to demonstrate how the engraving process doesn't touch, modify or interfere with the purchased electronic. Don't believe them? Watch the video!

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First up, the Wii stick is based on the Standard Edition sticks released with Street Fighter IV. Functionally, it's the same, but the stick has gotten a nice weight boost over the other SE sticks. The stick will also connect directly into the Wiimote instead of plugging into the console. Unfortunately, this means that you'll have to find someplace to put the Wiimote while you play. A dock for the Wiimote would have been killer. If you're going to put any serious time into TvC, however, you'll probably want to grab this peripheral for $70.

Cheats and Walkthroughs

It's tough to judge Monster Hunter Tri because the series hasn't been my thing. Andrew Pfister and I tried to understand what the fuss was about when Capcom released Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite in 2009, but despite a few hours spent over beers in co-op, we left the experience scratching our heads. Monster Hunter is a genuine hit in Japan, but something's not clicking here. Capcom showed parts of how they hope to change that with Monster Hunter Tri.

There have been some key changes made to make Monster Hunter Tri more appealing.

One, the camera can be independently controlled through a second analog stick. In the PSP version, the camera proved unwieldy because tapping a shoulder button to swing the camera around couldn't always keep up with the action. That's not an issue on the Wii.

Two, the tutorial has been redesigned from the ground up. That sounds like a simple change, but it's an important one. Pfister and I didn't make it far past the tutorial in Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite because even after finish the tutorial, it didn't feel like we learned anything. The other Monster Hunter games assumed you knew what was going on and this one doesn't. Though I didn't experience the tutorial for myself, knowing that's the plan is encouraging.

Three, the online system is intended to sit right alongside Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Online play has never been a major part of Monster Hunter prior to the Wii version, simply because most users in Japan were playing near each other -- it's part of the culture. On the Wii, Capcom knows there needs to be a serious step up and even though the Japanese version includes friends lists and lobby systems, I'm told the US version is getting even more engineering tweaks to make sure it's a seamless, friendly system when people boot it up.

As someone who traditionally dismisses a new Monster Hunter, Capcom's reactions to feedback are noteworthy enough that I'm willing to give the series another shot with Monster Hunter Tri.

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Cheats and Walkthroughs

A new section of Mass Effect 2 was playable at CES 2010 and was also (sadly) my first time playing the game. Although my time was brief, I got a good sense of all of the improvements BioWare has made to the franchise.

I won't go over all of the new gameplay mechanics and changes as Patrick Klepek has already written an excellent preview, but I can give some details on the new quest I was able to play.

Shepard and two new teammates, Miranda and Jacob from Cerberus (vagueness intentional to avoid spoilers! Read Patrick's preview if you'd like to know more), have arrived at a medical facility to seek the help of the doctor in charge. To make matters more complicated, however, the facility seems to be suffering from a plague to which humans have a convenient immunity. This causes a bit of distrust among the aliens suffering from the plague. Many are not willing to accept help from Shepard.

Previews

Review

Cheats and Walkthroughs

Previews

Review

Cheats and Walkthroughs

Previews

Cheats and Walkthroughs

Anyone who was too intimidated by Mega Man 9's maddening difficulty curve but wanted to enjoy the nostalgic goodness should keep tabs on Mega Man 10. Lessons have been learned from Mega Man's return to the 8-bit era, based on my time spent with Mega Man 10 at CES 2010.

Capcom wasn't giving us much to play with at CES (only Mega Man and a short slice of a single stage were playable) and to add insult to injury, I'm not even allowed to talk about which boss stage was actually available -- that reveal is coming soon. I can tell you it involved robots throwing baseballs, something I don't recall seeing in another Mega Man video game before.

What's more important is not only the addition of an easy setting but tweaks made to normal. Mega Man 10, like its predecessor, is designed to test your patience and tendency for throwing controllers at the ground. No doubt, I will spike at least one controller when the finished product is in my hands, but during the CES demo, it was classic Mega Man: enter a screen, die, learn the pattern, move onto the next one. Without having played more stages from Mega Man 10, it's impossible to say too much, but it's an encouraging sign that I finished the demo. That didn't happen with Mega Man 9.

I also gave easy mode a spin. It would have been simple for Capcom to simply make the enemies take less shots and make Mega Man nigh invincible, but the response to Mega Man 9's difficulty must have went to heart; the level design is actually different when easy's selected. In one section, you're jumping on shifting robotic hands that position you to take out the robot's head. On normal, there's m annoying soccer ball bouncing around the room to distract you. On easy, that's removed. Enemies also take longer to shoot and require fewer direct hits, but actually modifying the level design shows an attention to detail that's sure to be appreciated.

Of course, you're a sissy if you pick easy mode, but, hey, I'm glad it's there. There was no option to play as Protoman in the CES demo, either. Maybe next time.

Not all technological advancements are evil like Skynet. Sony proves that new gadgets can also be eco-friendly, like their new recycled W series Eco notebook. Kevin Pereira and Alison Haislip cover more of the top consumer tech from CES 2010, like the new Toshiba Satellite E205 laptop and the Samsung BD-C6900 Blu-ray player that yes, has built-in 3D playback in case you don't want to buy a 3D television.

So what happens when you hook up your 3D DVD player to your 3D TV? 4D?

Brian's Super Street Fighter IV Fight Club report from earlier today ran down a lot of the tournament details and features of the game. Now, check out a three-part series of videos showing off some of the best moves in the contest. The best part, a final fight between Capcom Special Advisor/Community Manager, Seth Killian vs. the reigning US SFIV champion, Justin Wong.

So, let's say you're one of the most popular consumer electronics companies in the world. Producer of high-end TVs, mobile phone and more, you're asked "Why sir, if you were to build a CES 2010 booth, what would it look like?".

Yup. It's true. 3D HD televisions have launched at CES 2010. Kevin Pereira and Alison Haislip take a look at the products soon to be available in your home, like the Sony Bravia LX Series with its 3D features built-in, the Samsung C9000 that comes with what has to be the coolest remote ever (a mini TV?? On your remote???) and the "no one is ever really going to buy this, right?" Panasonic 152" 3D plasma.

If and when you do buy these TVs, please send us photos of yourself wearing the 3D companion glasses. No, we won't laugh.

"What would the universe be like it were made of LEGOs, papa?" That’s a question a much younger (and hypothetical) me once asked, and thanks to the magic of video games, we’ll all finally know the answer. But don't think it's going to be a cutesy, adorable romp. Oh no...Well, in a sense it will be, but, judging from the CES 2010LEGO Universe reveal trailer, this massively multiplayer online game promises to be every bit as epic and sweeping as you'd expect from MMO. Not to BUILD up your expectations or anything:

Popular accessories manufacturer Mad Catz, best known for their game controllers and fight sticks (Brian Leahy will have new impressions from CES 2010 shortly), have announced a new line of premium gaming mice to go along with their popular Cyborg gaming keyboards.

“The addition of this line of mice bolsters Cyborg’s strong gaming keyboard market presence and is a continuation of our strategy of developing products that evoke a passionate consumer response,” Mad Catz president and CEO Darren Richardson said in a statement.

The most notable aspect of the new Cyborg R.A.T. mice, at least according to Richardson, is that they’re designed in such a way to allow users to fully customize how the mice feel in players' hands. How the mice do this isn’t clear, but judging from the pictures, that’s probably what all those knobs and bolts and such are for.

There are four models to choose from, ranging from $50 to $130, each with unique features like programmable weight systems and varying laser strengths. Mad Catz says to expect these beastly creations sometime in spring 2010.

Do you own any Mad Catz products, specifically any Cyborg gaming accessories? What do you think of these new mice? Look like something you might be picking up?

Announced here at CES 2010, Nyko will be introducing Wand+, a new Wii remote with built-in MotionPlus support. The unit, which is the same size as their current third-party Wiimote, will release in March for a suggested $40, well below the cost of a Nintendo Wiimote and MotionPlus.

The big question: does it work?

Yes. As far as I can tell during my limited hands-on time with the Wand+ and Wii Sports Resort (Table Tennis), it works as well as Nintendo's own MotionPlus. The impressive part? This tech is built from scratch by Nyko and not licensed from Nintendo.

My only gripe is the D-Pad, which isn't as defined as the one on the official Nintendo Wiimote. Everything else works as well as the official thing and should present a low-cost option for gamers wishing to stock up to four Wiimotes with MotionPlus.

Should Nintendo publish a change to MotionPlus, Nyko will also be able to update the firmware on the Wand+, though it will require sending your controller back to Nyko for flashing.

Keep checking back for more from CES 2010 and be sure to follow me on Twitter @bleahy.